College Town

Sunday

May 12, 2013 at 6:00 AM

By Bonnie Russell TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

Grandmothers wear many hats, ranging from sun visors during outings to the beach with grandchildren, to fancy hats suitable for afternoon tea with granddaughters. Yesterday, three area grannies wore mortarboard caps with tassels when they graduated from Becker College.

The women join a growing number of older learners, who get degrees later in life. They earned their degrees through Becker’s Center for Accelerated and Professional Studies, all graduating with honors.

Cecilia Pierce, 55, of Sutton was a licensed hairdresser, who was unable to continue in her profession after a fall that resulted in surgery. She began working with preschool children at the Blackstone Valley Children’s Place in Whitinsville. She decided to go for a degree in psychology after earning teacher certification through the state.

“A Becker counselor suggested earning a bachelor’s degree through the accelerated program,” Mrs. Pierce recalled, adding that it seemed daunting at first. “I thought by the time I graduate I’ll be ready for retirement.”

But the time went very quickly and Mrs. Pierce was proud to accept her degree in front of her parents, ages 89 and 90, as well as husband Eric, son Timothy and granddaughter, Layla Rose, 1.

Pam Yaylaian of South Grafton returned to college to fulfill a dream of completing her bachelor’s degree, started many years earlier when she was just out of high school.

She took five-week sessions resulting in a degree in business administration.

Like Mrs. Pierce, Mrs. Yaylaian, thought it would take forever, but the four years flew. “The five-week courses are wonderful. Before you know it you’re on to the next one.”

She found the studies very helpful in her job as a customer service manager at Springstone Financial in Southboro.

“Each thing I learned, I could apply immediately. We were allowed to bring examples from our jobs and then I could go back to work and apply what I learned,” she said.

Her grandchildren Piper, Phaydan and Paxton, were among those who supported her.

“When we had sleepovers, we all sat at the dining room table to do our homework,” she said with a chuckle.

After the ceremony, her husband Bob promised to take her out to dinner, but quickly because one of the grandchildren had a dance recital.

“I’m back from student to grandmother right away,” she said.

Shannon Gamache, 40, of Mapleville, R.I. also earned her degree in business administration.

The young grandmother said it was a personal goal to finish her studies, which paid off professionally in helping her qualify for a new job that required a bachelor’s degree.

Ms. Gamache is currently a senior class campaigns officer at Brown University in Providence, but will start a new position May 31 as major gifts officer.

“It’s a step up,” she said.

And, in the future she plans to pursue a master’s degree in public administration at Roger Williams University. First, a few more celebrations are on tap: her son’s graduation from high school and grandson James’ second birthday in July.

A bit more on the topic of older learners: On Saturday, Assumption College awarded six bachelor’s degrees and one associate’s degree to individuals older than 50, earned through the school’s career and continuing education division. Worcester State University has eight candidates 50 and older scheduled to receive degrees on May 18.

Dennis Vanasse, director of the Student Success Center at Anna Maria College, recently had two children’s books published. The books focus on two topics that Mr. Vanasse believes need to be addressed in society.

“I am Special Too” is about a 7-year-old boy who is just like any other child, except that he has cerebral palsy and is in a wheelchair. “Stand Tall Against Bullying” is about an 8-year-old boy who is bullied at school.

Abbie E. Goldberg, associate professor in The Department of Psychology at Clark University, received $718,770 from the National Institute of Mental Health for her three-and-a-half year project, “Mental health in the postpartum period among visible and invisible sexual minority women: A U.S.-Canada study.” Goldberg will serve as principal investigator and will work with Lori E. Ross, associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto, to focus on increasing the understanding of factors that contribute to experiences of mental health and wellness of mothers during pregnancy.

Ms. Goldberg’s grant was one of two federal grants received by Worcester researchers and organizations recently. On May 3, U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern, D-Mass., recognized the Clark professor, along with The Family Health Center of Worcester, which received $367,630 to continue funding of their Health Center.

Barre native Nathan Nesbitt, a doctoral candidate in physics at Boston College, has been awarded a three-year, $90,000 graduate research fellowship by the National Science Foundation.

Mr. Nesbitt is conducting research into innovative solar power technology he hopes will one day help reduce dependence on fossil fuels. A 2007 graduate of Quabbin Regional High School, he earned his bachelor’s degree at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 2011.

The funds will support graduate study and a project to develop cost-effective solar panels that combine the innovative nanocoax receptor technology — developed by BC faculty — with benign, readily available, and highly absorbent coatings.

Mr. Nesbitt said his senior thesis at WPI explored a similar coating scheme — namely Porphyrin, an organic dye similar to chlorophyll — that proved to be a highly effective absorber of sunlight. His goal is to apply that and other coatings to the nanocoax, a highly efficient converter of sunlight to energy.

Mr. Nesbitt works in the lab of Ferris professor of physics and Department Chairman Michael Naughton, a member of the BC faculty team that developed the nanocoax.

Contact Bonnie Russell brussell@telegram.com

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